Port RecommendationsQuinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Port 2014 $$ For medium-term aging (10 years or less). Youthful and charismatic, this wine hits its stride in a commanding triumvirate of chocolate, strawberry, and spice. Fonseca Vintage Port 2016 $$$$ Earthen blueberries with a violet and fresh mint layer. Rich, tannic, and a perfect balance of residual sugar to layered into a complex of mineral and spice. Age for 10-30 years. Madeira RecommendationsBroadbent Rainwater Madeira $$ A distinctive Rainwater bottling that evokes the holidays everytime I drink it. Evocative of British figgy pudding: dried fruit, walnuts, nutmeg, and currants. Rare Wine Co. New York Malmsey Madeira $$$$ A dessert wine of depth and complexity. Pecan toffee and milk chocolate over a smoked apple core that fills the nostrils with baking spices. Retains a wonderful freshness throughout. Red Wine RecommendationsNiepoort Drink Me Nat’Cool 2019 $$ A biodynamic red from Bairrada. Crunchy red fruit with a wreath of flowers on the finish. A cutting edge natural wine made from the Baga grape. Herdade Do Esporao Reserva Red 2016 $$ From Douro, this is a high-altitude port-blend centered on Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Wildflowers on the nose with a chewy attack and black fruit compote that manages to retain balance. Quinta Dos Murcas Minas 2016 $$ Blend of Tempranillo and Trincadeira from Alentejo, this a spicy whirlwind of a bottling. Densely textured and swirling with allspice and coriander. Leaves a crater of blueberry where your brain used to be. Quinta do Infantado Tinto 2015 $$ Field blend of Touriga Franca, Tempranillo, and Touriga Nacional. A brilliant bottle of red wine from one of the best independent port producers. White Wine RecommendationsQuinta da Raza Vinho Verde 2019 $ From the Cavado region, a single vineyard blend of Arinto, Azal, Trajadura. Lighting-like zest with a quenchable character and white floral notes. Quinta da Pellada Quinta de Saes Encruzado Reserva 2016 $$$ From Dao, a modern classic of Portuguese wine making. Sur lie bottling of the rare indigenous Encruzado grape. Powerful and concentrated with all the brine and wet stones of the Atlantic ocean.
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